While I suspect you're just trying to stir things up, I'd like to reply anyway.
The "pointlessness" is really subjective: on one hand, our lives won't really change that much in a tangible way simply because of manned space shots; but on the other hand, a man on Mars or the Moon would accomplish far more in a month than any possible robotic craft could in its longest conceivable lifetime. Why? Flexibility and on-the-spot decision making capability. This is an obvious point.

The slightly less obvious one is, the advances in technology that are forced by such extreme enterprises. These always produce new products that end up in the consumer market, making life a little better for us all. In addition, there are the tens of thousands of people in the aerospace industry who are gainfully employed, paying taxes, supporting their communities, and educating their children, as a result of these projects.

So yes, there's not much point in another footprints-and-flags mission to the Moon in and of itself. But it could be the start of something much bigger and better. That's what I'm hoping for.

And finally, nobody's actually insisting that you look at pictures of footprints. You can look at anything you like.